Plural of circus; public entertainments featuring acrobats, animals, clowns, and other performers in a ring or arena.
From Latin 'circus' meaning ring or circle, derived from Greek 'kirkos.' Romans used it for their oval arenas; the word evolved to mean the entertainment spectacle that happened there.
The circus building was literally a 'circle' in Roman times—the word 'circus' comes from the shape itself—and when portable circuses traveled across America in the 1800s, they brought the ancient Roman arena concept to small towns everywhere.
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